Sometimes the solution to writer’s block is to go off on a complete tangent. This story wasn’t on my radar when I started working on the second instalment of “The first timers” but it forms a bridge between the two and, hopefully, will allow me to finish that second instalment and move on. Enjoy- Ellen.
A few days after my spat with Maggie Martin things were back to normal. Yes, I’d taken a beating, and yes, I’d been in a lot of pain over the weekend. I took a day off on Monday but by Tuesday morning I had put both my fight with Maggie and my unexpected night of pleasure with Jay behind me and was back at work.
The winter months are always quiet here. The hardened surfers and sailors still visit and the water sports shops and the pub stay busy but things are always quiet for Carrie and me with few tourists and just a trickle of trade from our regular artist community. None the less we keep the shop open, albeit with shorter hours, between the New Year and Easter.
It was around 9:30 on Tuesday morning and I had just arrived at the shop ready to open at 10:00. Carrie wasn’t there yet but she’d be along soon. I put the kettle on ready to make us both a coffee. At that moment my mobile rang. The ring tone gave the caller away before I even picked up the phone.
“Hi Terri, what’s new?”
“Hi Ellen, how do you fancy a couple of days in London?”
“With you? Doing what?”
“I don’t know, staying in a nice hotel, a bit of spa treatment, some shopping, a nice meal or two, maybe take in a show?”
“Sounds fab – what’s the catch?”
Terri did her best to sound indignant: “Ellen Shaw! Really! I offer to take you on a nice trip and all you can say is ‘what’s the catch?’ – fine friend you are.”
“Terri Brooks, I’ve known you log enough to know there’s always an ulterior motive behind your generous offers.”
“Okay, you got me. I need you in my corner on a boxing match.”
“What?!”
“The reason I missed your little run in with Maggie the other day was that I went to London to see some friends. While I was there, I met this guy and hit on him. How was I to know he had a girl friend? And a very jealous girl friend at that.”
“So, what happened?”
“She confronted me in a pub. Told me to ‘fuck off and leave her man alone’. We almost came to blows but friends kept us apart. When she’d calmed down a bit she said ‘I know who you are, Tanya Brooks. I challenge you to a boxing match. If I win you fuck off, if I lose you can have him.’ Well, I’m not that interested in the guy but I can’t resist a challenge so I said ‘you’re on’ and we’re set to fight in a gym in Camden next Friday night.”
“Oh my god! Terri, she called you Tanya, she says she knows who you are. Do you know her?”
“I didn’t recognise her but I guess she knows me from my time at Gerry’s, that’s when I called myself Tanya.”
“So, is she a fighter or not?”
“I don’t know. She certainly wasn’t on the circuit when I was. Maybe she’s just a fan who fancies a crack at me, like Lynne did with you. Anyway, she doesn’t look that much of a challenge. She’s short, old and doesn’t look that fit. What have I got to lose? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee – I’ll take her out in round three.”
Terri doesn’t take life too seriously. I chuckled at her comment but alarm bells were ringing in my head. This woman hadn’t challenged Terri to a fight, she’d challenged her to a boxing match. She knew Terri was a boxer in the past. She wasn’t going to challenge her if she didn’t think she could win.
“What’s her name, Terri?”
“Rose Dawson.”
“Have you looked her up in the archive?” I asked.
The CLAWS archives contain huge amounts of information on female fighters from around the world. Not just those who appeared at CLAWS but girls from all over. Not everyone is there but if she did fight for Gerry at any point the odds are she’d have an entry of some kind.
“Why bother? I’ve agreed to fight her. It will be what it will be. Like I say, she didn’t look much of a threat when she challenged me.”
“Okay, let me talk to Carrie and see if she’s happy to mind the store for a couple of days. When were you thinking of going?”
“I’ve booked us a hotel room for Thursday and Friday nights. We’ll go up on the train on Thursday afternoon and come back sometime on Saturday – unless we’re enjoying ourselves too much, in which case we’ll stay an extra night.”
“Terri! What are you like? Assuming before you ask? Let me talk to Carrie and I’ll get back to you.”
“Thanks babe, talk later.”
With that she hung up. Carrie arrived a few minutes later and I asked her if she minded me being away for a couple of days.
“You’re not going fighting are you, Ellen?” She asked.
“No,” I replied, honestly, “Terri is fighting, I’m just going along for the ride and to be her second.”
“Well promise me that, whatever happens, you won’t get into a scrap.”
I promised and, with my baby sister’s approval, texted Terri to say we were on for the weekend.
It was a quiet day in the shop, just a few of our local artists popping in for supplies and a chat and a couple of off-season tourists. I was itching to find out more about Terri’s opponent but I stayed focused on my job and it wasn’t until I got home that evening that I went online and accessed the CLAWS archives to find out who Rose Dawson was. What I found surprised and worried me.
Raven haired Rose was a boxer through and through. Born in August 1965, Rose was a couple of years older than Terri. She had joined Gerry’s “Benjy’s Brawling Babes” outfit in 1986 at the age of 21. Over the next five years she boxed regularly and seldom lost her fights. In 1990 she’d travelled to California to take part in a competition dubbed “The World Ladies Topless Boxing Championships” which had been organised by a company over there.
The knock out tournament featured eight of the best topless women’s boxers of the time from around the world. Rose beat Leah Martins (the CLAWS champion at the time), Lesley O’Dowd and Blake Mitchell to take the title. While in California, she also took part in a number of professional ladies boxing bouts.
She defended her title in the UK in 1991, knocking out Gabi Marshall, and won it again in 1992 before retiring from the ring to have children. In total, during the 5½ years she was active, she fought some 42 bouts, most of them topless, and lost only five.
The reason Terri had never met her was because, during Terri’s time Gerry’s club, Rose had been on maternity leave. She returned to the ring in 1997 to take on the recently retired CLAWS boxer Gabi Marshall for second time – once again she was triumphant, the 31-year-old easily defeating the 40-year-old health club magnate.
Over the next three years she fought a number of other bouts against formidable boxers, including the then CLAWS champion, Suzi Lomax, and won them all before retiring again in 2000 at the age of 35. In total she fought 50 ‘official’ fights and won 45 of them, 39 by knockout victories.
Although she didn’t seem to have been in the ring in 22 years, there was no doubt in my mind Rose was a formidable force to be tackling. Her track record was vastly superior to Terri’s. This was not going to be the simple beatdown of an old lady that Terri seemed to be expecting. She was up against possibly the finest topless boxer the world ever seen, and the woman was only two and a half years older than her. I also suspected that Rose would’ve been training like mad in the few days since she issued her challenge. She clearly felt Terri had wronged her and was determined to teach the cocky brunette a lesson she wouldn’t forget.
Terri is one of the best boxers I know but she’s not invincible. I’ve beaten her and so have a few other girls at CLAWS. I have no doubt she lost a few during her time at Gerry’s as well, and I wondered how she would fare against Rose.
***********
On Thursday Nat very kindly gave me a lift into the city on her way to work at Marshall’s. During the half hour journey, she quizzed me about my trip with Terri. Initially I was coy, saying we were just going for a girly weekend away. But in the months my young boxing protégé had been training with Terri and myself, she’s got to know us very well – too well in fact:
“Come on Ellen I have no doubt that you and Terri are going to fight in London. Why don’t you just come clean about it?” She asked,
Well, I couldn’t deny it. I confessed I wasn’t going to fight, but Terri was. I told Nat that Terri had been challenged by Rose Dawson and also what I’d found out about Rose when I done my research.
“Fuck’s sake,” said Nat, “does Terri know how good this woman is?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think she cares. You know Terri. She likes to fight. She thinks she’s invincible. Maybe Rose will convince her otherwise.”
“What? Do you think she’s going to lose?”
“I think there’s a pretty good chance of it. Rose may be smaller than Terri but she was undoubtedly the finest boxer of her generation and if she’s even in half good shape today she stands a pretty good chance of giving Terri a hammering.”
The train station was about a mile from the office, but I had plenty of time and it was a pleasant day so, despite Nat’s offer to drop me at the station itself, we parted company at Marshall’s and I walked the rest of the way. When I met her, Terri was a usual ebullient self, radiating self-confidence and enthusiasm for the trip we were about to undertake.
“Rose and I have been in contact,” She said, “and we have agreed the rules for our match. It will be a fight to the finish. Topless boxing over unlimited three-minute rounds, decided by 10 count knock out.”
‘Oh shit’, I thought. I knew Terri wouldn’t give up easily and no time limit could men her enduring many rounds of pain before she finally went down for the count.
“Terri,” I said to her, “have you got any idea what you’re up against with this woman?”
“I took a quick look at her profile,” Terri admitted, “she was good in her day but she’s an old lady now and, by all accounts, she hasn’t fought in over 20 years. I’m sure I can take her on and beat her.”
“Terri she’s in a completely different league to you. She’s won 90% of her fights. She may be old but she’s younger than me and not that much older than you. You’re going to have to be careful out there. Officially she hasn’t fought in 20 years but you never know what she’s been doing her spare time.”
“Whatever. It’s a fight. I don’t care if I win or lose, I just want to teach the bitch a lesson.”
“Terri you are in the wrong. Rose has every right to challenge you for flirting with her man. You’ve got to stop doing that, girl. You have more than enough lovers with Jeff, Jay, Sian, me and all the others, why the hell do you always have to go after other men and women?”
“I don’t know babe, it’s just in my nature. Maybe she has a case, but she shouldn’t have challenged me like that.”
“Terri, I love you, you know that, please don’t let yourself get hurt.”
I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Terri leaned over and hugged me.
“Don’t worry babe, I’ll be fine.”
But I did worry. Had Rose Dawson really not fought in the last 22 years? Would a woman who was that far out of practice challenge the current CLAWS boxing Senior boxing champion? It was possible, but I had a hunch that maybe Rose had been in the ring a little more recently than 22 years ago. When Terri popped to the loo, I phoned a friend (actually a friend of a friend) and struck gold.
“Hi Ellen, what can I do for you?”
“Hi Helen. Do you have a moment to answer a question for me?”
“Sure Ellen, fire away.”
“Helen have you ever come across a dark-haired boxer called Rose? She’d be in her mid-50s by now…”
“Rose Dawson? Yes, I’ve met her but I never fought her, and I don’t think I’d want to. I’ve watched her in the ring a few times. She was impressive to say the least.”
“Do you know when she last put the gloves on?”
“I don’t know about the last time, but the last time I saw her in action was at Lesley’s fighting house the Christmas before last.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Lesley had this crazy idea to give old BB a big hard on for Christmas. She wanted to show her superiority as a boxer. She invited Rose to come down to the fighting house and asked me to referee, she invited BB to watch and be her second. It was supposed to be Lesley’s finest hour but in reality, she was out classed. Rose is three years younger than Lesley and in surprisingly good shape. Lesley was on the back foot for most of the match and went out for the count in the fourth round.”
“Shit.” I said, remembering how easily Lesley had defeated me just a few months earlier.
“What’s up Ellen?”
“Rose has challenged Terri to a fight. We are on our way to it now. Terri thinks she’s going to wipe the floor with Rose, but everything I’ve learned about Rose so far tells me that may not be the case.”
“I’m afraid I’d have to agree with you, Ellen. Rose may have been retired for over 20 years but she still fights occasionally on the underground circuit and she is still more than a match for anyone in her age group. I’d say Terri will have a work cut out. Wish her luck for me, but don’t be surprised if your friend comes off worst in this encounter.”
“Thanks Helen.” I hung up as I saw Terri making our way back down the train corridor.
Helen’s comments had done nothing to reassure me. For a moment I considered telling Terri what I’d found out but I stopped myself. I was here to support my friend, not scare her. Terri wasn’t about to back down and it was too late to call the fight off anyway. I just hoped she’d have the sense not to keep fighting when she was beaten. If nothing else she needed to be fit in three weeks’ time for the next round of the CLAWS senior wrestling championship.
I resolved to put my fears to the back of my mind and enjoy the trip with my dear friend. I’m a country girl through and through so a trip to the big smoke is always exciting. We opted to walk the half mile from the train station to the hotel, trailing our little wheeled bags behind us.
************
The hotel, while not exactly the Savoy, was pretty swish. A modern building with comfortable rooms, a gym, swimming pool and Jacuzzi, located on the Southbank of the river. Most importantly, according to Terri, it was just a few minutes’ walk from the club where her fight would take place the next evening. We checked in and settled in our room for an hour or so to chill out and recover from the journey before heading across the river to the West End for a meal followed by a performance of “We will rock you” which Terri had secured tickets for, knowing that we were both big Queen fans.
After the show we returned to the hotel and our room and, after a quick cuddle, settled down for a good night sleep. The next morning, after breakfast, we took advantage of the hotel’s facilities, enjoying a swim, followed by a relaxing period in the Jacuzzi. We then headed back across the river for a light lunch at Covent Garden and an afternoon of window shopping. I am a ‘jeans and jumpers’ girl and, although she loves shabby chic, Terri gets most of her clothes from charity shops. So, neither of us were going to be big spenders in those high-priced west end stores, but it was fun to look and imagine what we would buy if we could afford it.
Back at the hotel we had an hour or so to kill before it was time to get organised in the head down to the gym where the fight would take place at 8pm. We left the hotel at 7:30 carrying the small bags of gear that we bought with us and, just a couple of minutes later, we were knocking on the door of the gym. A shapely brunette in her mid-thirties opened the door and ushered us in before introducing herself:
“Hello, you must be Tanya, I’m sorry, Terri, and this must be Ellen. I’m Katie, Katie Holder, I think you both know my mother, Nancy.”
Once again, I was struck by what a small world it is. We did indeed know Nancy. This woman’s mother had been my boxing nemesis at CLAWS before she retired. And, although they had never fought at CLAWS, I knew Terri and Nancy had faced each other more than once when they were younger. We shook hands.
“You’re a fighter too then, Katie?” I asked.
“Yes, like mother like daughter,” She laughed, ”I would have joined CLAWS but I went to Uni in Reading and then moved to London and ended up fighting in the LLCC.”
“Do you box or wrestle, Katie?” Terri asked.
“Both, but, despite what mum taught me, I’m a better wrestler than I am a boxer. It’s an honour to meet you, Terri. I’ve heard so much about the exploits of Tanya Brooks – both from mum and from the old hands at the LLCC.”
Katie continued:
“I’ll be your referee tonight. Rose is already here. We’re expecting a small audience of club members, all women. Follow me and I’ll show you to your dressing room. Terri, I understand you’ve already agreed rules with Rose so I won’t go over them here, I’ll just announce them in the ring.”
With that she led us to a door and ushered us through it. We found ourselves in a small locker room not dissimilar to the changing rooms at CLAWS but a bit more dated.
“I’ll leave you to get changed and come back a few minutes before the fight to check you’re ready.” Katie looked at her watch and added: “See you in 25 minutes.”
With that she closed the door and we were alone.
“What did she mean about ‘agreeing rules’ Terri?” I asked.
Terri looked sheepish before replying: “Ellen, this isn’t CLAWS, the rules are slightly different here. No ‘Tee’s law’ for a start. Plus, we need to settle this ourselves so we want to be sure there is a clear winner.”
“Please tell me you haven’t agreed to anything crazy.”
“You’ll have to judge that for yourself.”
With that Terri opened her bag, pulled out her white gloves, white boots and a pair of white briefs with a small red heart on the crotch and began to undress. I looked around and saw that someone (Katie?) had laid out some towels, a bucket and sponge and three bottles of water – my second’s kit. I shrugged and started to change myself, I wasn’t about to enter the ring in my jeans and sweater, we were here to put on a show.
Twenty-five minutes later we were waiting for Katie when she came back in. Terri in her boxing gear of white gloves, white boots and white midi briefs with a single red heart on the left of the gusset and wearing a white, hooded cape covering her largely naked body and stretching down to her bum. Me in a plain white t-shirt, black sports briefs and black trainers. I’m proud of my legs and wanted the women in the audience to appreciate them.
Katie led us through a door and into a small auditorium. The centre of the room was filled with a 20ft x 20ft boxing ring, surrounded on two sides by three rows of seats. The setup was similar to CLAWS but more compact, with a lower ceiling and none of the elaborate camera equipment that Gabi provided – just two static cameras on tripods. Absently I thought to myself that even that setup would provide sufficient footage for Paige to create an impressive film. I had no doubt that she would get the footage to work on – after all, she is the best in the business.
We followed Katie to the ring and climbed in by the blue corner. The red corner was already occupied by a woman wearing a black hooded gown and another in a white singlet with the “Benji’s brawling babes” logo on it and black slacks. I glanced around and saw about 30 women sat in the seats around the ring. Katie moved swiftly to the centre of the ring and addressed them:
“Ladies, thank you for coming tonight to witness this unique contest. This is a grudge match between two of the finest mature topless women’s boxers in the country today. Introducing in the blue corner, 54 years old, standing 5’9”, measuring 38b-29-44 and weighing in at 160lbs, the former LLCC women’s topless wresting champion and current CLAWS senior boxing champion. We know her as Tanya but today she is Terri - Terri Brooks.”
The crowd applauded as I helped Terri slip off her gown to reveal her toned body. After a moment Katie continued:
“And in the red corner, 57 years old, standing 5’ 3”, measuring 44D-30-42 and weighing in at 150lbs, former LLCC champion and three times world topless boxing champion – Rose Dawson!”
The applause for the local girl was louder and longer and, as Rose slipped off her gown, I got my first view of the woman Terri was about to fight. Clad in black boots, black gloves and back midi briefs, Rose looked like someone to reckon with. Her face was framed by a shock of shoulder length curly black hair. While not as toned at Terri, she looked compact and powerful and her big tits would certainly intimidate Terri in a wrestling match.
Katie beckoned the fighters to join her in the centre of the ring. As they stood face to face, I found myself wondering was how this small, busty woman had been such a successful boxer. Most of the boxers I knew, with the exception of Suzi Lomax, were tall and slim. Even Suzi had a good three inches on Rose – in height if not in bosom.
Katie then went on to explain the rules to the two women. She spoke loud enough for us all to hear knowing that Rose and Terri didn’t need to:
“Ladies, you have agreed to a fight to the finish over unlimited 3-minute rounds. You have agreed that neither the referee nor the seconds will be able to stop the fight. You will simply fight to one of you fails to beat my count of ten. I will only intervene if I think one of you has sustained a life-threatening injury. You have also agreed that all areas of your bodies will be legitimate targets. Are you happy with these rules?”
Both women nodded their agreement and my heart sank. Terri had agreed that she could be beaten senseless and I could do nothing about it. Rose was a seasoned veteran who had beaten the best. I was convinced that she would show Terri no mercy. Why should she? She was the wronged woman here; she would be out for vengeance.
Breifing over the girls returned to their corners. Terri smiled sweetly at me. I said nothing, I was too upset at the prospect of seeing her getting hurt, but there was no backing out now. A few seconds later the buzzer sounded for ‘seconds out’. Terri accepted her gum shield from me and stood up. I kissed her on the cheek, picked up the stool and stepped between the ropes. A moment later the bell rang and the fight was under way.
The first round, as is often the case in fights between opponents who have never met before, was a slow-paced affair as the two girls felt each other out. Much of the action being carried out at arm’s-length with Terri, pushing out jabs and Rose ducking and weaving to avoid her blows and trying find a way inside her guard.
Rose had large, pendulous tits and, in theory, it should have been easy for Terri to hit them. But Rose was an extremely canny fighter. Shorter than Terri, she kept her stance crouched and used her forearms to protect her boobs. Terri couldn’t get low enough to get under Rose’s guard and was restricted to attacking her head and shoulders. Meanwhile Rose had pretty much free reign over any part of Terri she could reach.
Towards the end of the round Terri enjoyed some success as a couple of her long-range shots connected but Rose seemed unfazed by them. After three minutes the bell rang and they returned to the corners, both glistening with a slight sheen of sweat. So far so good, but it was pretty evenly matched.
The early part of round two followed the same pattern as round one, but then the girls stepped up the pace. One of Terri’s jabs connected with Rose’s temple and she went on the defensive. Terri set off in pursuit as the smaller woman backpedalled around the ring but, in her enthusiasm, she overreached herself. Rose managed to get in underneath Terri’s jabs and land a couple of hard blows on my girl’s tits, which slowed her down considerably. After another three minutes they were still pretty evenly matched, the round ending with Rose on the offensive and Terri’s guard holding up well.
Returning to our corner, Terri was breathing hard and, through gasp for breath, she exclaimed: “That woman can hit hard. It feels like she’s got horseshoes in her gloves.”
I told her not to worry, reassured her that she was doing well, wiped her down and got her ready to go out for round three.
At the start of the round Terri went on the attack, trying to use her height advantage to force the smaller woman back. Initially she succeeded, Rose began to backpedal around the ring as Terri threw more and more jabs her head. Then the smaller woman managed to duck inside Terri’s attack, delivering a series of hard blows to her ribs and ultimately forcing the pair into a clinch. Katie intervened and separated them and, once again, they resumed their dance. This time it was Rose who went on the attack, looking to find a way under Terri’s guard, but Terri was wise to this and bought her arms down before launching a left/right combination to the small woman’s large breasts.
Rose winced and retreated. Terri tried to push forward. Once again, the smaller woman found her way through Terri’s defences. This time she was more successful. A couple of left/right combinations rocked Terri before right hook caught her on the chin and sent her spinning to the mat. My heart was in my mouth as Katie guided Rose to the neutral corner and begin counting over my fallen angel.
Terri pushed herself to her hands and knees at the count of three and then came to one knee, pausing for breath before getting to her feet at eight. Katie waved Rose back in and called for the pair to ‘box on’. Clearly shaken by the knockdown, Terri was hesitant initially, but as Rose pressed forward, she saw an opening, delivering a left/right combination to the smaller woman’s breasts, which brought her guard down and allowed Terri to throw an uppercut at her unprotected jaw.
Terri’s uppercut connected, Rose went down on her bum and, for a moment, looked stunned. Yes! Finally, my girl was getting somewhere! Terri went to the neutral corner and Katie moved in to start counting over the fallen woman. Rose shook her head to clear the cobwebs. She may have been stunned but she was back on her feet at six and clearly frustrated by Katie’s insistence on giving her an eight count.
A few seconds later the bell sounded and Terri returned to our corner. I was excited and congratulated her on the knockdown.
“Well done babe, you had her then. Just hit her with your hardest punch and it’ll be over.”
“Ellen, that was my hardest punch.”
“Oh shit.”
After three rounds, the pair were still evenly matched. Under CLAWS rules the girls would currently be on 11 points each, both having a scored a knock down and taken three judges points for each round. I was beginning to think that my concerns about Rose were unfounded.
But Rose had other ideas. She was about to change up a gear and show us all why she had such a fearsome reputation. When the bell sounded for the start of round four it was Rose who came out on the attack and quickly had Terri retreating and covering up. After 30 seconds she forced her back onto the ropes.
When Terri hunkered down to protect her face and boobs, Rose reminded us that we weren’t fighting on CLAWS rules by driving a punch squarely into the gap between Terri’s legs. Terri groaned and dropped her knees, clutching herself. Rose moved the neutral corner and Katie moved into start counting. With tears welling up in her eyes, Terri stayed on her knees until the count reached seven before getting unsteadily to her feet.
Katie stopped, counting and waved Rose back in. Terri was now moving awkwardly, and clearly on the defensive. As she retreated round the ring Rose was quick to capitalise, driving more blows into Terri’s mid-section, bringing her guard down and exposing her jaw, before delivering another right hook that deposited my girl on the deck for the second time in the round after just over a minute.
Terri lay on her back until the count reached five before rolling over, pushing herself to her hands and knees and getting up at nine. Katie waved Rose back in and Terri was immediately on the defensive again, retreating around the ring and eventually backing into a neutral corner where, before Katie could intervene, Rose delivered another hard uppercut to Terri’s love box.
This time, Terri sank to her backside against the corner post, sobbing, as Katie moved in and started counting. As the count reach six, Terri pulled herself up on the ropes. When she was standing Katie stopped counting and stepped aside to allow Rose back in.
Terri scarcely got clear of the corner before she was on the deck again. This time by a right hook to the temple that she simply didn’t see coming. She remained face down on the mat until the count reach five before again, pushing herself up and turning to face her foe.
As Rose closed in Terri wisely went for the clinch, holding onto the small the woman and preventing her from doing any further damage. Katie moved in to break them apart, but a few seconds later the bell went to the end around four and a grateful Terri staggered across to the blue corner and collapsed onto the stool I put out for her.
While it may have been even going into round four by the end of it Rose would’ve taken all the points in a CLAWS bout and been 25-11 ahead. But, of course, this wasn’t CLAWS. There was no point scoring here. It was simply a question of which girl failed to beat the count and it was beginning to look very much like that was going to be Terri.
I could see the swelling forming above Terri’s left eye and she winced when I touched it. She complained about her aching pussy and the pummelling her boobs were taking. Knowing Terri’s lack of bladder control, I was reluctant to apply any ice to her aching sex at this stage, but I checked her tits over and could see a couple of spots where they were starting to swell.
I did my best with Vaseline and water and words of encouragement but, all too soon, the break was over. The buzzer sounded and Terri got wearily to her feet, ready for the bell to start the fifth round.
Once again Rose made her way confidently out of the corner, ready to confront an opponent that she clearly thought was already beaten. But Terri is made of sterner stuff. A look of determination came on her face and suddenly she went on the attack. Using her height and reach to keep the smaller woman under control.
Rose was momentarily unable to break through Terri’s defences and started retreating. Terri pursued her around the ring, landing, a succession of blows before a right hook to the temple sent the smaller woman to the mat face down, Rose’s, second knockdown of the fight.
My heart leaped into my mouth as, for a moment, I thought we were going to see a Tee style revival with Terri coming back against the odds, But the fight had clearly taken a lot out of my girl as well. Rose took her time to get up this time but was on her feet by the time the count reach nine.
Once again, she looked less than pleased that the bigger woman had put her down and quickly set about repaying the compliment. As Terri tried to capitalise on her success, Rose once again ducked under her jabs and delivered another uppercut to her pussy, dropping her face first to the mat.
Poor Terri was in serious trouble now. She made it to her feet at eight but before she could get her guard up properly Rose was on the attack again, pounding her boobs and, when she tried to protect them, delivering more blows to her head.
For the next minute or so Terri hunkered down and tried, unsuccessfully, to ride out Rose’s assault. Eventually things got too much for her and she dropped to her hands and knees, gasping for breath. This time she stayed down until the count reached eight before launching herself from the mat, hoping to catch Rose off guard. It was a clever tactic that, ultimately, failed. As she launched herself at Rose, she left herself exposed and a clubbing left hook connected just below her right eye, sending her crashing back to the mat.
I looked on in anguish as Terri once again rolled over and pushed herself back to feet. Rose was, of course, waiting and quickly destroyed Terri’s half-hearted guard before forcing her back onto the ropes and raining more punches on her tits and face. Terri did her best to cover up, but that just frustrated Rose more. As she lay back on the ropes, gloved hands over her face and her elbows attempting to protect her tits, Terri was helpless as Rose drove yet another uppercut into her love box, sending her hands to her pussy as she screamed in pain.
Rose’s left uppercut connected with Terri’s jaw and she sat down against the ropes, seemingly completely out of it. As Katie counted over her, I watched in horror as a small puddle the golden liquid began to form between her legs. It looked like the fight was over but, as the count reached six, the bell sounded for the end of the round.
Terri may have been safe for now, but I didn’t fancy her chances much in the sixth round, given the state she was in. She was on her arse in a pool of her own piss. Her nose was bleeding and the dazed expression on her face suggested she didn’t have a clue where she was. I quickly climbed through the ropes with a towel and crossed over to her. As I bent down to wipe her face, she looked up at me and said:
“Ellen?”
“Yes, Terri.”
“What’s happening?”
“You’re in a boxing match. You’re losing but you’ve just been saved by the bell. Oh, and you’ve wet yourself. Now get up and help me get you ready for the next round.”
With that I helped her to her feet and guided her back to our corner where I pulled off her soaking wet knickers, sat her down on the stool and started patching up her wounds. I stemmed the bleeding from her nose and put more Vaseline on the mouse below her left eye and the cut above her right one.
Katie came over and I apologised on Terri’s behalf for wetting the ring. Katie confided in me:
“Ellen, if it was within my power, I’d have stopped the fight by now. And I’m sure if you could you’d have thrown in the towel. But these girls have agreed to a fight to the finish, and until Terri stays down, there’s nothing I can do…”
Despite her bruised and beaten state, Terri answered the call at the start of the sixth round. For the first minute or so she managed to use her superior height and reach to keep her opponent at bay. She was definitely weak and her movements were slow, but she was still able to dodge Rose’s attacks, pushing out long jabs to keep the smaller woman at a distance.
It couldn’t last of course, and in the second minute of the round Rose took charge again. First, she threw a right hook which opened up the cut above Terri’s left eye again. That was followed by a straight left to the right breast, which saw the skin broken and a trickle of blood emerge from just below her nipple. Finally, another right uppercut directly into her now exposed nether regions dropped her to her knees.
I prayed Terri would have the sense to stay down but she doggedly pushed herself up, staggering to her feet as the count reached nine. Thirty seconds later another uppercut to the jaw put her on her back. This time I screamed:
“Terri, for fuck’s sake stay down. You’re beaten.”
But Terri isn’t like that. She rolled over and pushed herself back to her feet with her back to Rose. Katie stepped in and turned her to face her opponent before allowing Rose to attack yet again. this time there was no defence, Terri just wrapped her arms around Rose’s body for the clinch.
Perhaps taking pity on Terri, Katie moved slowly to break up the clinch and the bell for the end of the round sounded before Rose could mount another attack.
Once again, I ministered to my girl as best I could, wiping away the blood from the cuts, applying Vaseline to the swollen areas and an ice pack to her aching pussy, which elicited another small stream of golden liquid.
‘Let her pee,’ I thought, ‘I’m sure Katie won’t mind’. I looked across the ring to see Katie, looking concerned and sympathetic, and then Rose, still on her feet soaked in sweat but otherwise seemingly unharmed and looking as determined as ever. This couldn’t go on forever. I hoped and prayed it would soon be over.
Again, I begged with Terri to stay down when she was knocked down, but I knew my pleas were falling on deaf ears. After six rounds. Terri wasn’t listening to anyone. I doubt she even knew where she was, or what day it was. She was in a fight, and it was taking every ounce of her concentration to focus on the raven-haired nemesis standing across the ring from her.
The bell sounded for round seven and Terri got wearily to her feet, raising her guard as she advanced towards her opponent.
Rose wasn’t exactly fresh at this point; it had been a long hard fight. She was sweating profusely and clearly tiring. But she was in a damn site better shape than my girl as they came together and began to exchange blows. Once again Rose dominated the action, scoring with three blows to every one of Terri’s and it wasn’t long before she was backed up against the ropes taking another standing count.
At nine Katie stopped counting and asked Terri if she wanted to continue. Terri nodded and Katie waved Rose back in. Rose immediately attacked again and the end came a short while later.
Ducking under Terri’s half-hearted guard, Rose drove a hard left into her right breast. Terri started to fold and dropped her gloved hands to her chest. A right hook to her jaw sent her staggering and was followed rapidly by a left upper cut. Finally, a right cross connected with her temple and sent her crashing to the mat on her side. She rolled onto her back, arms wide and legs spread, staring at the lights above her with a vacant look on her face
Rose retreated to a neutral corner, and Katie moved in and began counting. It was a formality. Terri was out cold. She didn’t even move as the count reached 10, and the bell rang.
At the sound of the bell, Rose raised her arms in victory and crossed to her own corner. Where her second helped remove her black panties. She then walked over to the prostate form prostrate form of the CLAWS senior boxing champion, stood over her and lowered herself onto Terri’s face.
“Now lick me, loser.” She commanded.
Terri moaned softly but obliged her vanquisher while Rose gyrated on her face. After a minute or two Rose seemed satisfied and got to her feet before bending down with her face just inches from Terri’s and saying:
“Let that be a lesson to you, loser. Leave my fucking man alone and don’t ever show your face around here again.”
With that she returned to her corner. I climbed into the ring with water and towels and did my best to get my girl up and on her feet. Katie came over to see if she could help out as Terri had clearly passed out again.
Katie asked me: “Do you mind if we dispense with the formalities? I’ll just announce the result and then give you a hand with Terri.”
Knowing I wasn’t going to rouse Terri in a hurry so I said: “No, not at all.”
She walked to the centre of the ring and beckoned Rose over to her before announcing:
“Ladies, after one minute and ten seconds of round seven your winner, by a knockout, Rose Dawson.”
There was a ripple of applause from the 30 or so women present and, after that, Rose headed for the dressing room and the crowd dispersed leaving just Terri, myself and Katie in the ring.
*************
Well, that was pretty much the end of our girly weekend away. Katie helped me get Terri on her feet and out of the ring. Back in the changing room I helped Terri shower and patched her up as best I could before bundling her into a cab to go the quarter mile back to the hotel. The next morning we checked out of the hotel early, Terri wearing dark glasses and a scarf to cover the marks on her face, and got the train back home. Terri was unusually quiet and I didn’t try to force the conversation.
Once we were on the train home and she was sleeping I was able to do for Terri what Erica had done for me years before, after my encounter with Mitzi. I dialled the number on my mobile and a few seconds later it was answered. Thankfully the person on the other end sounded wide-awake and there was no sound of the passion that we’d overheard when Erica called Cassy years before.
“Good morning, Dr Langford,” I said, “or should it be Dr Foxton?”
I couldn’t resist making a joke of the fact that Cassy had finally managed to snare Larry Foxton and the couple had been married a few weeks earlier.
“Watch your step Ellen I may be married but I’m keeping my maiden name. I gave it away once, I’m not giving it away twice. What can I do for you this bright Saturday morning?”
“Well, I’m after a favour I’m afraid.”
“Someone been beaten up? Not you I hope.”
“No, not me, it’s Terri. We’ve been to London. She’s been in a boxing match. She lost badly. I think she’s fine but I’d appreciate it if you could check her over when we get back.”
“Okay, where are you?”
“We’re on the train home, we should be back in the city in an hour or so.”
“Larry is out playing golf this morning. I’ll come over to Marshall’s and meet you there in about an hour and a half, is that okay?
“Thanks, Cassy, I owe you one.”
“Ellen, I’m sure you owe me more than one but we are friends and I don’t keep score, I’ll see you in 90 minutes.”
When Terri woke up, about 20 minutes before we got home, I told her I’d called Cassy and that we would be going to Marshall’s so she could be checked out. She was grateful and then ask me for another favour.
“Ellen, would you mind if I stayed with you for a couple of days? Just until the worst of the bruising is out and my cuts have started to heal. Geoff doesn’t mind me fighting but he hates to see me looking a mess if I’ve lost. Also, he knows I’ll be as miserable as sin.”
“Of course you can,” I reassured her, “you can stay with me as long as you like.”
After a short pause she added:
“Ellen, I owe you an apology. I ignored your comments about Rose because I know exactly who she is. Like you I have a bucket list but there are only two names on it, Gabi Marshall and Rose Dawson. I’ve wanted to fight both of them for years. I wanted to prove that I was a good as they were. There’s no chance of me facing Gabi in the ring now but when the opportunity came up to face Rose, I couldn’t turn it down. I guess I’ve proved myself wrong, I’m no match for Rose Dawson and I probably never was.”
With that she started to cry. I hugged her and said: “There, there, you did your best. You put up a good fight. You can’t say you didn’t.”
While I could reassure her about her own performance, I couldn’t deny the evidence in front of me. Rose had beaten the crap out of her. Terri Brooks was not as good as Rose Dawson, not by a long way. I just prayed that Terri wasn’t considering a rematch.
Terri had left her car in the station car park, and I offered to drive us to Marshall’s, an offer that she gratefully accepted. The Saturday morning traffic was relatively light and we were going up against the flow so we didn’t take long to get to Marshall’s. I was pleased to see that, true to her word, Cassy’s car was already in the car park. As we walked into the reception, the young receptionist greeted us
“Good morning, Miss Brooks. Good morning, Miss Shaw. She’s waiting for you upstairs.”
I thanked her and guided Terri towards the elevator. Normally we would’ve taken the stairs, but I noticed Terri was moving awkwardly, and I was keen not to cause any more pain than necessary. When we walked into Cassy’s office the good doctor confronted us:
“Well, well, well, what do we have here? A rather bruised and battered looking Terri Brooks if I’m not mistaken. Get your kit off and let’s have a look at you.”
Terri slowly undressed, wincing several times, while Cassy looked on with a concerned expression:
“Fuck me Terri, you’ve taken a hell of a beating. Who were you fighting, Rose fucking Dawson?”
“How did you know?” I asked.
“For fuck’s sake Ellen, are you stupid or something? Rose Dawson was the finest fighter of a generation. Only three women ever beat her and each one paid the price during the rematch. Terri might think she’s invincible, Rose Dawson really is. You girls really need to do your homework. What possessed you to take on Rose, Terri?”
Terri murmured about the challenge and Rose being on her bucket list. I filled in the blanks a bit as Cassy began her examination. She started with Terri’s face.
“Two black eyes and a cut on your right temple. Your nose has taken a pounding, but thankfully it’s not been broken. Your lips look like they’ve had too much Botox. At least you haven’t lost any teeth.
Your tits are swollen and there’s a cut on one of them. Up on the couch and let me take a look at the rest of you.”
Cassy confirmed multiple bruises on Terri’s arms and belly: “Your muscles are depleted. You clearly put up a good fight but you really weren’t a match for her, were you Terri?
Terri mumbled her agreement through bee stung lips.
“Okay let’s take a look down below. God, your labia is the size of a tennis ball. I’m surprised you can put your legs together. Did she punch you down there as well?”
I interjected: “It was ‘anything goes’ in terms of targets.”
“Jesus Terri, you let Rose Dawson punch you in the pussy? You won’t be having sex for a while, trust me, how did your bladder hold up?”
I interjected again: “It didn’t. She pissed herself at the end of the fifth round.”
“You managed five rounds with Rose Dawson? I’m impressed.”
“She actually managed six and a half but that was only because they’d agreed that we couldn’t throw in the towel and the ref couldn’t stop the match.”
“You agreed the ref couldn’t stop the match? Oh my God, Terri, you fought Rose Dawson and you agreed no one could stop the fight? You’re lucky to be alive. As it is you’re not into bad shape. Most of this will heal in two or three days. I suggest you lay low for a few days and take it easy.”
“That’s okay,” I said, “she’s going to come and stay with me for a bit.”
“You look after her, Ellen, won’t you? A beating like this that doesn’t just affect the body, it affects the mind as well. Your ego must’ve taken a hell of a pounding Terri but don’t be discouraged you may have lost but trust me you fought the best; you fought the Ali women’s topless boxing and you should be proud of yourself to have made it through six rounds. Because I can’t think of many other women who have manage that.”
Cassy gave out various advice, mostly to rest and not think about what had happened. Her parting message was, however, a poignant reminder of my own stupidity:
“Terri, the senior tournament starts in three weeks. I’m going to give you the same advice I gave Ellen six years ago. She ignored me and it cost her the title. I’d like to think you’re smarter but I know you too well. You’re a head strong bitch and I know you won’t lie down but I’ll say it anyway – forfeit your first tournament fight. Allow yourself time to recover. You’ll be stronger and better placed to win later matches.”
We thanked her and left. I took Terri back to my cottage where she stayed until Wednesday morning. By that time the worst of the bruising was fading, the swellings had gone down and she was moving normally. When she left, she was still subdued by her standard but the smile was back and there was a cheerful note in her voice as she kissed me goodbye and promised to see me soon. I knew she’d bounce back, she always does, but she’s unlikely to forget Rose Dawson in a hurry and she’ll be a bit more careful about the men she flirts with in future.
